


trouvaille

by nakimdoyu



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Falling In Love, Fluff, Getting Together, JohnTen is strong in this one, Light Angst, M/M, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Single Parent Yuta, Teacher Taeyong, Teacher Yukhei, other members/ex-member mentioned in passing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 06:09:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19806328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakimdoyu/pseuds/nakimdoyu
Summary: A few years after a difficult divorce, single dad Yuta moved to Seoul with his daughter, Yuki, to start a new job and a new life. He enrols Yuki into a local kindergarten near their new home and there, he meets kindergarten teacher, Taeyong.





	trouvaille

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to prompter for coming up with this prompt. I'm sure the citizens of YuTae nation are forever grateful.
> 
> And thank you to my ever so lovely beta.
> 
> Last but not least, thank you to the Enrara Mods for organising and moderating this fest with so much dedication and patience!

It hadn’t even been a week since they arrived in Seoul, but the apartment felt homier than his old one had ever felt back in Osaka. Yuta thought it had to do with having the people he held dearest to his heart together in one room, enjoying the food he had prepared.

He smiled fondly looking over at Ten who was spoon-feeding Yuki, though his little princess was perfectly capable of doing that herself. Johnny had a pout on, probably from losing a bet to Ten to do exactly that.

Ever since the divorce, there was a big pile of self-doubt holding Yuta down, taunting every decision he made. It was nerve-racking at first, deciding to leave the life he had built in his own hometown just to move back to Seoul after so long.

_Am I making the right decision?_

_Will I be able to take care of Yuki by myself?_

_Am I good enough for Yuki?_

He had his family to fall back on when work got a little too demanding. So, it was terrifying to think that once they moved, he wouldn’t have that kind of support anymore. He would have to deal with everything on his own.

But maybe, maybe he had missed one little fact. The fact that he did have a family in Seoul.

Johnny and Ten.

The fact that this city was once his home.

And maybe it still was.

***

It was nine when Ten sent Yuki to bed. She had an early day tomorrow.

Yuta had just finished in the kitchen, walking into the living room to find Johnny standing on the balcony. He could make out the lit cigarette between Johnny’s fingers.

Something was off.

“I didn’t think you still smoke,” he said, stepping out and sliding the door close behind him.

Johnny scoffed, took a long draw before puffing out smoke into the chilly night air. It reminded Yuta of himself back in the days. Back when a husband and a daughter were out of the equation.

“Just casually now.”

Yuta smirked. He knew too well that Johnny didn’t really get addicted to anything, apart from a certain Thai man. He rested his forearms on the metal railing, tilting his head to look at his friend, “Have you talked to him about it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The reply came too quickly for it to be true to any degree. They both knew that much.

“Oh come on, Suh. I saw the way you watched him coddle Yuki the whole evening. I could practically hear you wishing for a child of your own. Hell, I _know_ you want one of your own. You always have ever since high school. You literally never shut up about wanting to settle down, get married, and have kids by the time you reach thirty and yes, we’re a little past that now but I doubt any of it has changed. So, don’t give me that."

Yuta had to take a deep breath after that word vomit. The air fell silent afterwards.

He almost felt guilty, but someone had to put it out there, had to knock some sense into Johnny’s head. If there was a way Johnny could work this thing out with Ten, it would be by talking.

And they definitely could talk.

Johnny looked down to his feet, expression turning a little bleak.

“I don’t know, man.” He sounded so vulnerable. Yuta knew how sensitive this part of Johnny was. “There’s nothing to talk about, it’s not like he doesn’t know. He was there all along listening to the same bullshit you just said I never shut up about. He was there right next to you.”

The three of them go way back, having known each other since high school. They bonded over being the only foreigners in their year, over their minimal Korean vocabulary to be exact. They had spent an awful lot of time together back in the days, assigned into the same classes all throughout and even shared the same interests.

School friends turned family.

And there was no way on earth Ten could’ve missed all those ramblings.

Yuta didn’t really know what to say, so he ended up saying the wrong thing.

“You know...Hansol didn’t wa-”

“Don’t you think that’s why you’re divorced now?” Johnny’s tone was a little too harsh even for his own liking. His grip on the railing tightened, knuckles turning white.

Yuta bit his lip. He knew it wasn’t personal, and it wasn’t relevant to compare their situations. But he also knew not to push any further. So, they both let the air settle.

It was only when Johnny turned to stub the cigarette in the ashtray that Yuta looked at him again. “Hey,” a hand raised to Johnny’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to make it sound that easy.”

Johnny shook his head, forcing a sad smile, reaching out to pat the back of Yuta’s hand. “It’s fine, it wasn’t easy for you too. I know you’re just trying to help, I’m sorry.”

In that exact moment, the door slid open in full force, revealing a short man before his all too familiar high-pitched voice rang through their ears.

“Damn, Nakamoto! You really went all out with Yuki’s room, huh?”

Silence, two sets of eyes turning to look at him.

When Ten took in the state Yuta and Johnny were in, though, he froze. Like he had just walked in on some secret mission.

“Uhh, what’s going on?” he asked nervously, eyes darting back and forth between Johnny and Yuta.

Johnny offered a hand for his boyfriend to take, tried his best to push everything they were talking about to the back of his mind and work a genuine smile onto his own face. Ten met him halfway, gracefully walking to stand and press to his side.

Yuta never got over how adorable they were. Johnny was a whole head taller than Ten and it reminded him of himself and his ex-husband, smiling at the fond memory.

“What’s in there, babe?” Johnny asked, gazing down at Ten with a smile so sweet Yuta had to hold back from gagging.

“There’s a huge glittery teepee over her bed with fairy lights all over. You might think he’s building another sun to outshine the one we have up there or something,” Ten beams. “And there’s like,” he pauses, making exaggerated hand gestures, “...a whole lot of fluffy pillows and fluffy blankets and fluffy carpet inside! If I was Yuki, I don’t think I’d ever come out of there.”

Johnny gaped at Ten. He then turns to Yuta with a grin that deserved a smack to the back of his head. “Wow! And you talk our ears off whenever we spoil her too much,” air quoting the last two words.

“You guys sent her real diamonds just because you couldn’t make it to Osaka on her birthday! What do you expect?” Yuta retorted.

“Relax! There were only twelve diamonds on that crown.” Ten is wheezing, holding onto Johnny’s arm for support.

Yuta couldn’t believe their argument. “She was four!”

That made the two laugh even harder.

They sure had known how ridiculous it was but decided to proceed with the plan anyway, relishing in the satisfaction of spoiling Yuki while annoying Yuta at the same time.

He just shook his head, a little smile playing on his lips.

There was really no valid argument to this. It was true that he did go all out with Yuki’s room, and it was true, too, that gifting diamonds to a four-year-old was a little over the top (a lot, actually). 

After all, Yuki was his little princess. Everyone’s little princess.

She had chosen everything for the room herself, two weeks before they flew to Seoul. Rainbows and sparkly things had always caught her eyes, so Yuta had to get the tepee for her. They spent the whole day setting up the room together. Two pillow fights and a tickle war later, they finished it off with the grand finale; the said crown on top of a floating shelf right above her bedpost, wordlessly declaring her to be the princess of the house.

Though it was a given.

“By the way,” Johnny started after recovering from his fit of laughter. “Do you want Ten to go with you for the registration tomorrow?”

Ten was a jewellery designer who worked mostly from home for his mother’s company. So, he had the freedom to make plans any time, on any day of the week unless he was chasing project deadlines. Which he wasn’t at the moment.

“Nah, I think I’m good. I’ll let you know if I need anything, though.”

Ten faked a gasp. “You don’t want my company?!”

That earned him a slight shove, but he didn’t stop there.

“Tsk, Youngho. Our baby is all grown up, doing things all by himself.”

Yuta exaggerated his shocked expression at the statement. “Excuse me, I survived years in Osaka without you two on my ass!”

Ten was now full-on wheezing, Johnny snorting beside him.

Yuta knew it was all banter, but he also knew the concern was genuine. After all, Johnny and Ten, more than anyone, knew his struggles.

***

Yuta beat the dawn chorus, rising with the sun like he always did for as long as he could remember. Fresh out of the shower, he settled by the large window, scrolling through the news feed while sipping a cup of black coffee.

It was eight when he slipped into Yuki’s room. Awake, she was a ball of sunshine that you couldn’t help but match her energy. Asleep though, she looked so peaceful. Yuta contemplated whether or not it was worth trading that for her awake form.

The soft brown strands fell over her face. Her long eyelashes sat prettily on the apple of her cheeks, inherited from her surrogate mother.

He pulled her comforter down, but it was only when he peppered feather light kisses all over her face that she started rousing from slumber. Yuta smiled fondly, watching her yawn and stretch her little limbs. 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he mused, brushing the hair out of her face and booping her nose. She sighed before craning her neck to kiss Yuta on the cheek. He thought his princess was the sweetest.

Just as Yuta was done fixing them a quick breakfast, Yuki appeared in the kitchen with a little backpack in tow, nicely dressed but hair uncombed, sticking out in all directions. Yuta snickered at the sight and decided to plait it up while she dug into her breakfast. She rambled about the dream she had last night, one that involved all kinds of sea creatures, flying.

They arrived at the kindergarten at quarter to nine. Throughout the registration process, Yuta paid attention to Yuki’s class teachers who were Mr. Wong, Ms. Kim, and they were led by Mr. Lee. 

One of them did remember Yuta as the father who just moved to Seoul from Osaka.

After the registration session, parents started to leave, saying goodbye to their children for their first day of school. Yuta pulled Yuki to the side, crouching on his knees to come to her eye level.

“Daddy will have to leave now. Do you think you’ll be fine on your own?” he asked concerned, holding her hands in his. 

Sure he’d sent her to kindergarten before, but it was different now that they were in a different country.

To his surprise, Yuki pulled her little hands out of his grasp and squished his cheeks. “Uncle John told me my Korean is great! I will be okay, daddy,” she said in Korean, scrunching up her nose.

Yuta just giggled, impressed by her confidence. 

Watching Yuki trot away towards her classroom, Yuta couldn’t help the sting behind his eyes. 

Sometimes, he thought that he wasn’t doing enough, wasn’t raising Yuki the way she deserved to be raised, wasn’t providing her the life she deserved to live no matter how hard he tried. But today proved that along the way, maybe he’d done one or two things right. And he deserved to feel at ease with how his little princess was growing up.

***

The first week went smoothly, except on Thursday when Yuta got a phone call while he was in the pantry, making coffee for himself. He scrambled to pick it up as soon as he saw the caller ID.

The kindergarten.

“Hello, yes! Is something wrong? Did something happen to Yuki?”

Yuta knew he sounded frantic, but he really couldn’t care less. As long as Yuki was okay.

“Hi, Mr. Nakamoto. This is Teacher Lee from the kindergarten. Sorry to bother you but Yuki hasn’t really been in the best mood and she’s refusing to eat. I know you’re busy and—“

“I’ll be there in ten,” Yuta hung up and dashed to Johnny’s corner office.

“Hey, I need to leave early. Something’s wrong with Yuki.” He didn’t even wait for Johnny’s approval and left straight away. But it was a given that Johnny wouldn’t mind. Especially not when it involved Yuki.

Yuta was restless the whole drive there, driving a little too recklessly even for his own liking. 

Yuki was an easy-going kid, very chatty and good at making friends. But she had a tendency to shut down as soon as she felt like she didn’t belong. It had happened twice before and Yuta had a feeling that this was another one of those. He just wanted to know what exactly made her feel that way this time.

He practically ran from the parking lot towards the classroom. 

When he arrived at the door, the sight was heartbreaking. His little girl was sitting in the corner, face hidden in the cross of her forearms, knees pulled close to her chest. Yuta would recognise his daughter anywhere. 

The other kids were seated at their own tables, repeating after Ms. Kim at the front.

As he looked back to the corner, Mr. Lee signaled for him to come in. He went over to kneel in front of Yuki, whispering, “Hey, baby. Daddy’s he—“

Yuki leaped into his arms before he could even finish the sentence, little sniffles now audible. 

Yuta tried to calm her, running his hand up and down her back soothingly. His other hand scratched lightly behind her ear, something that always seemed to put her at ease since she was small. It worked, the sniffling settled down, her breathing started to regulate and her hold on Yuta's shirt relaxed.

But the ache in Yuta’s heart remained. He hates seeing Yuki upset.

It was silent for a bit before she finally spoke, muffled against Yuta’s chest. “Can we please go home? I don’t like it here.”

Yuta widened his eyes at the statement, then looked to Mr. Lee, wordlessly asking for approval, though he was still very much confused.

“Yes, yes. Let’s go home,” he whispered in Yuki’s hair at the nod he received.

Scooping Yuki up in his arms, he struggled to collect all her belongings with one hand before shuffling out the door, all the while Yuki had her face hidden in his embrace.

***

“Stop daydreaming about baby daddy.”

Taeyong almost busted his ass falling off the chair trying to defend himself. “Am not!”

Yukhei’s laugh rang through the room as he caught Taeyong by the arm.

It was 6:15pm and all the kids had gone home, leaving the teachers to clean up before calling it a day. Yeri had left earlier while Yukhei was waiting for Taeyong to finish marking some writing exercise they did with the class since they carpooled.

“Yes, you are!”

“Am not!”

“You are!”

“Am not!”

“Look, I saw you ogling him alright,” Yukhei added to validate his point.

“I do not ogle him!” 

“Then, what was that?”

Taeyong huffed. He knew Yukhei wouldn’t let him live. But for some reason, he still explained. “I don’t know. I was just caught off guard.”

“By his beauty?”

Taeyong panicked at the question and shoved him away. “No! I mean, yes, he _is_ beautiful and I like his smile and all but what I’m talking about is, he’s a partner at a big law firm, I didn’t think he would be able to come in.”

Silence.

The look Yukhei gave him screamed he caught exactly what Taeyong had just said.

“H-hyung...did you just...”

Taeyong couldn’t hold the eye contact anymore. “Ugh, shut up! Just help me with this so we can both go home quickly!” 

***

It was well into the third month that Yuta started to get busier and busier each day. Ten occasionally had to pick Yuki up on days Yuta had to stay later at the office. 

Today was one of those days. Ten wouldn’t mind picking Yuki up. He lived even closer to the kindergarten compared to Yuta, except he was now two thousand miles away - back in Thailand.

It was a quarter to five that Yuta realised he wouldn’t make it, so he called up.

“Teacher Lee speaking, how may I help you?” 

“Hi, Nakamoto here. I know we need to call up earlier but I just realised that I won’t make it before five, so is it okay if I come and pick Yuki up at six?”

He stumbled over his own words, fingertips hovering over the keyboard in front of him, mind reeling with the case he was working on. 

'Nightmare client' just called, insisted on a last minute meeting.

Taeyong froze for a while, his mind stopped processing after he realised who was on the line. But he was quick to come to. “Oh, yeah yeah sure. That wouldn’t be a problem. I will let Yuki know.”

The line ended after a rushed ‘thank you’ and Taeyong wouldn’t be able to explain even to his own self why he was a little breathless. He looked over to Yuki who was busy playing with Jeno and Jaemin, and then back to the telephone in his hand.

_This is bad._

***

Yuta scrambled for his phone the second he was out of the meeting room, cursing under his breath as he saw the time on the lockscreen. There were a few emails, one sale notification, and three missed calls, but what caught his eyes were the message from an unknown number.

**_From: Unknown [6:40pm]_** _Hi, Mr. Nakamoto. Teacher Lee here. I couldn’t reach you but I’m letting you know that it was getting late to stay at the school so I took Yuki home. You can come and pick her up at my house._

There was a location attached in the next message bubble. Yuta rushed out of the building and was stepping on the gas paddle in no time, driving to the said location.

“It’s only been a few months and I’ve already fucked up,” he rambled to himself.

He was already in front of the apartment building when he replied to the text message.

**_To: Unknown [7:53pm]_ ** _Hi, yeah thanks. I’m actually downstairs._

He almost jumped at how fast the door buzzed, but eventually let himself in. The guilt was eating at him all the four minutes it took to get to level 5, house number 11. 

The moment Taeyong opened the door, he started rambling, “Is Yuki okay? Did she cry? I’m so sorry, I know should’ve called the school. I was in an urgent meeting and it kept dragging and dragging and—“

“Mr. Nakamoto?” Taeyong interrupted mid-sentence, looking at him like he just grew another head.

There was a moment of silence. Yuta took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

“She’s asleep in my room. Do you wanna come in first? You look like you could use a glass of water.”

Yuta’s tie was loosened, his shirt unbuttoned, and his hair messy, out of the pomade grip from running his hand through it over and over again. He realised he looked a mess, and yes, he needed water. So, he nodded.

“I am so sorry,” he started again as soon as Taeyong appeared from the kitchen with a glass of water in hand.

Taeyong just huffed, shook his head and sat across from him on the three-seater. 

“Thank you, Mr. Lee,” he mumbled after chugging down half of the water.

“Please, call me Taeyong.” At Yuta’s hesitant expression, he added, “We’re not in school, it’s fine.”

“Right, right. Call me Yuta then.”

It took the whole thirty minutes for Taeyong to convince Yuta that this was fine. That he didn’t mind. Yuta sighed for the umphteenth and decided he should just accept it, but still, insisted that he owed Taeyong. The pout he had on when Taeyong disagreed was endearing.

“You know, Yuki had this exact same pout on when we were waiting for you. She’s really your daughter,” he teased.

Yuta bursted out laughing and the air turned lighter. 

But maybe just on the outside. Because god knows what that laugh just did to Taeyong on the inside. It felt like the sun was shining at half past eight in the evening and his heart was gonna jump out of his chest.

Sure they saw each other every morning when Yuta dropped Yuki off, but this felt strangely intimate and Taeyong wasn’t sure if this was okay.

He scoffed, realising how obviously he was staring and decided to change the subject. “Umm, if you don’t mind, can I know what actually happened the other day?”

“What day?” Yuta was confused. But as soon as he had an idea of what Taeyong was saying, he acknowledged it. “Oh, that.”

He looked defeated and Taeyong regretted asking in the first place. “I am so sorry. If it was personal then you really don’t have to tell me.”

“No, no. It’s okay. It’s fine,” Yuta assured. “There was a kid who asked her why they’ve never seen her mother, I don’t know which one of them but it’s fine.” Yuta’s voice was quiet and Taeyong felt even more guilty hearing the answer.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry. That should’ve never happened in the first place, I didn’t know--”

“No, no. It’s okay. It happened before, it’s fine. Kids are just curious, you know,” Yuta reasoned.

Taeyong let out a defeated sigh because that was, in fact, true. The kids probably really didn’t mean any harm, but the harm was done anyway.

“Right, I should probably get going. Thank you so much, I really owe you this time.”

And Yuta thanked him another hundred times with a sleeping Yuki in his arms, standing in the doorway, ready to leave.

***

Yuta found Yuki already awake as he slipped into her room the next morning. He couldn’t help his own smile and went in for a quick kiss on her nose, except Yuki was sulking.

“Where were you last night?” she asked with a pout as Yuta kneeled beside the bed. It reminded Yuta of what Taeyong said to him the night before but had to refrain himself from laughing.

“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry. Daddy had a meeting and got out of work late. Will you forgive me?” he asked, taking his daughter’s hands in his. 

Yuki didn’t budge, though, eyes trained on the frog plushie in her lap.

“Yuki, sweetheart. What can I do to make it up to you? A hug?” Yuta tried.

Silence.

“A kiss?” He tried again.

All he got was a shake of her head.

“How about ice cream?”

Again, she shook her head and Yuta was running out of ideas. 

_How come ice cream didn’t work this time? Ice cream always works._

So, he sat on the edge of the bed and slowly pulled Yuki into his lap, careful to not poke the bear. When he was sure his daughter was okay with it, he wrapped his arms around her small frame, kissing the top of her head. “Then tell me, what do I need to do so you won’t be angry at me anymore?” He pouted for an extra effect. 

He really couldn’t blame Yuki for using her pout to her own advantage because he was sure she got it from him.

Hearing the plea, Yuki pretended to think. When she suddenly beamed, Yuta really didn’t know what to expect.

“Could you please come with us for the field trip next week?” she had her hands clutched together, doe eyes looking up into Yuta’s. "Please," the last bit prolonged in a whine.

And really, how could he say no to that?

***

It was a trip to Coex Aquarium.

To say Taeyong wasn’t thrilled that Yuta was one of the volunteer parents would be a lie. The day Yuki informed him about it, he didn’t even get to celebrate internally before Yukhei was already giving him that knowing look, smirking from the other side of the classroom.

But he guessed he could deal with that, if it meant Yuta was now sitting with him instead of with his own daughter, in the bus on their way back to the school. Yuta insisted that Yuki would prefer sitting with her friends and though that was true, Taeyong couldn’t help how his heart skipped a beat the moment the other asked him if the seat next to him was available.

He wasn’t expecting it but it was nice. Taeyong would like to think that they were friends. 

The whole trip, he kept stealing glances to where Yuta was. There was something about the way Yuta carried himself around the kids. The way he talked to them, the way he laughed with them, the way he genuinely paid attention to what the kids were saying. They liked him. 

And it wasn’t just them who flocked around Yuta, the other volunteer parent was no different. A single mother to Jeon Seungwoo.

Taeyong didn’t want to believe it at first, but when Yukhei had whispered to him about how touchy Ms. Jeon was being with Yuta at some point, though he meant to tease Taeyong more than anything, he had no choice but to agree with his initial thought. 

That Ms. Jeon was really _flirting_ with Yuta.

“I think Ms. Jeon is interested in you,” he told Yuta just as much, loud enough for only him to hear.

“Ms. Jeon?”

Yuta looked confused, so Taeyong pointed to where the woman was seated next to her own son.

“Oh! Sooyoung? Are you sure?” 

Yuta was giggling and Taeyong would’ve lost his breath at the heavenly sound. But all he could think about was how they were already on a first name basis.

_Dammit! Why would that even bother me?_

But what happened next had nothing on everything he had ever felt when he was around the single father before.

Yuta's hand was suddenly on Taeyong’s knee, squeezing lightly. His voice above a whisper but Taeyong could tell how close he was, “I don’t swing that way, though. Don’t worry.”

It took everything in Taeyong to not scream, to not jump out of his skin, because _what the hell just happened? What does this mean?!_

The rest of the journey was mostly quiet. Taeyong had to keep his mouth shut because his heart rate didn’t seem to slow down. Yuta asked him a few questions here and there and that was it.

He was still buzzing when he got home later that evening. Yukhei had asked if he was okay, but what was he supposed to say, really? That he thought he had a crush on his student’s dad?

It wasn’t like Yukhei didn’t already know, but there was no way in hell Taeyong was going to admit to that!

***

“What is it this time, Ten?” Yuta asked as he took a seat on the couch next to his best friend. 

It was almost 11pm and Yuki was sound asleep in her room. Ten had a large bowl of popcorn in hand, ready to binge watch the anime series Yuta had suggested a few weeks back.

Just an hour ago, he had called Yuta up, told him that he was spending the night at their apartment. Yuta didn’t even have to ask, he knew exactly what was going on.

Of course it was one of those arguments between Johnny and him again. But Ten had always been the petty one, choosing to give the other a silent treatment, or worse, just storm out of the house. Just like tonight.

“Same old.”

“ _Which_ one?” Yuta tried to clarify.

Ten huffed. “Putting a ring on it. Look, I’m not in the mood to talk about this. Can we just, watch this thing?” 

And Yuta complied. He pressed play and let the first episode run.

It was at the end of that episode that he finally spoke again. “You can always put a ring on it, you know. You’re a jeweller after all.”

Ten didn’t even miss a beat and smacked him on the back of the head. 

“Oww! I was just joking,” he defended, rubbing the spot that stung.

“I can’t believe you wanna joke about this,” Ten replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He was frowning so hard Yuta thought he would twist a facial muscle or two.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, that was definitely inappropriate. But hey, do you really not wanna sit down and talk about it with him at all? Listen to what he has to say?” Yuta turned his body to face Ten, giving him his undivided attention. The anime could wait.

“What is there to talk about?” Ten wouldn't budge.

“Ten, we’re thirty-three. We’re adults and we should talk things out, not run away at the smallest of inconveniences.” He was getting serious now. He knew he was the only one Ten would let get this personal. Aside from Johnny of course.

Ten was quiet for a bit, picking at the pillow in his arms. Yuta knew he had struck a chord, but he was willing to give Ten time because pushing was just two steps backwards from that one step he had advanced.

Suddenly, Ten was scooting closer, leaning his head on Yuta’s shoulder. He was welcomed with open arms. And if there was one thing he had learned about Ten from their years of friendship, it was that when he sought for touch, he was in his most vulnerable state.

It was a minute or two later when Ten spoke again. “You know how I feel about getting married.” 

He pulled Ten closer, rubbing his shoulder up and down, wordlessly telling him that he _had_ him.

“I do. I know how you _both_ feel about marriage. But have you guys sat down and thoroughly talked about it? Laid all the cards on the table and see if it was worth being an unbreakable wall after so many years?”

Silence.

Yuta was hesitant to continue, but he did anyway. “I have never seen a love like you two. And what a waste it would be for it to go down without a fight?”

That was when Ten finally let out a long sigh. “Fine. I’ll try and talk to him,” he said quietly, arms sneaking to wrap around Yuta by the waist.

“Tomorrow?” Yuta asked, searching for the other's eyes.

Ten let out a sound that was much like a whine.

“Ten, please.” His tone was firmer this time.

“Fine." Yuta couldn’t help but smile at the groan that followed.

Three episodes and an empty bowl later, their casual conversations turned to focus on Yuta.

“I think Teacher Lee is into you,” Ten started.

“Lol, you think so too?”

Ten shot up from where he was cuddled up against Yuta, eyes wide, “You _knew_?”

Yuta just laughed. “I’ve had people flirting with me my whole life, Ten. I know what it looks like,” he replied nonchalantly.

“Show off!” Ten shoved him to the other side of the couch, giggling like a maniac. “So, what are you going to do about it?” 

“Hmm...” Yuta was scratching at his chin, pretending like he was considering something. “We’ll see.”

And Ten smiled so wickedly hearing that, wiggling his eyebrows.

***

Johnny and Yuta had to fly out for an appointment in Osaka. It was one of Yuta’s old clients that wanted to venture his business into the South Korean market. They were set to spend two nights there and Ten was responsible to look after Yuki. But he made a mental note to tell Yuta about how Taeyong was asking about him.

He was picking Yuki up from school when his phone rang. His assistant, Kun, was calling. He ignored it in favour of talking to Taeyong. But by the third call, he thought maybe it was something important.

“Sorry, I have to take this call,” he excused himself, walking out of the classroom.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Ten! Ten, listen!” Kun was panicking on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m listening. What happened? Are you okay?” 

“Johnny. Johnny! You said he was flying back this evening right? From Osaka?”

“Yeah? Please tell me what’s going on.”

“Have you seen the news?” 

Ten was irritated now. “Kun, can you just get to the point?!”

There was rustling on the line before Kun spoke again, his breathing unstable from what Ten could hear. “There’s a flight from Osaka that couldn’t land because of the bad weather! They’re circling around in the air space!”

“What?! Right now?” he was growing anxious by the second.

“Yeah, I—”

Ten cut the call immediately, running back into the classroom and pulled Taeyong to the side.

“Teacher Lee, could you please watch Yuki for me? I have to go to the airport, something’s wrong with their flight from Osaka,” he was speaking so fast that even his own brain couldn’t keep up.

“Wait, what do you mean? You mean Yuta’s flight?” Taeyong asked, concerned.

“Yeah, and my boyfriend’s. Look, I have to go. Please help me with this one,” he pointed to Yuki who was busy playing with Lego.

Taeyong didn’t even get to respond before he was already out of the door, running towards his car. He couldn’t care less about exceeding the speed limit or getting pulled over. All he knew was that he needed to be at the airport, and he needed to he there _now_.

He didn’t even bother parking his car properly, left it at the pick-up section and ran straight into the arrival hall. A security guy was calling after him but his feet couldn’t seem to stop, taking him forward at their own accord.

Until he ran into a tall figure, diving face first into the stranger’s chest.

He fell on his butt and struggled to get back on his feet, ready for another round of sprint, until a familiar voice called his name.

“Ten?”

He looked up and he was right. He would recognise that voice anywhere, even in his sleep.

The time it took for him to spring up and launch himself into Johnny’s arms should’ve been a world record. Johnny cushioned the impact with an ‘oof’, wobbling a little before stepping one foot backward to find balance.

And suddenly, Ten was full on bawling. 

Johnny turned to look at Yuta, not knowing what to do other than rub Ten’s back soothingly, waiting for him to calm down before he could speak.

***

Taeyong was anxiously pacing around in the living room. Some random game show was playing on TV, but nothing could drown the way his mind was going a mile a minute. 

When Ten had left, he immediately went on the news site and the first headline he saw was all it took to know exactly what was going on.

It was hard to calm Yuki down from her crying, to come up with an excuse as to why her favourite uncle just ditched her after showing up to supposedly fetch her. But he managed.

Now that Yuki had fallen asleep, he was left with his own thoughts, scared to even read the updates of the news. He would've expected Ten to update him, but they didn’t even have each other’s number. So, all he could do was wait.

That was until someone pressed the bell to his apartment, and he was at the intercom screen in no time. 

The moment he recognised the face on the screen, it was like his hand had a mind of its own, buzzing the door open. He was frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do other than stare at Yuta’s figure that was disappearing from sight.

And then, there was a knock on the door.

That was the exact moment Taeyong realised.

“Hi?” It was the first thing Yuta said to him as he opened the door. 

Taeyong didn’t trust himself to open his mouth, to even say a word, because he could feel the lump in his throat hindering him from saying anything without breaking into sobs. So, he just continued to stare at the man in front of him, his own heartbeat speeding up.

“Taeyong?” Yuta tried again.

“You’re safe,” Taeyong muttered, barely audible.

“Yes. Yes, I am. I’m right h—”

Yuta didn’t even get to finish his sentence before Taeyong engulfed him in a tight hug, burying his face in the crook of Yuta’s neck.

It took him a moment to process, but responded in kind as soon as he heard the little sniffles coming from the other man.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. Ten just got the wrong flight,” he explained after a minute, trying to calm Taeyong down.

He thought it worked because the sniffles stopped, but Taeyong pulled away looking confused, eyes red from crying. “What do you mean?” he asked, voice little.

“Umm, why don’t we sit first. I’ll explain it all to you,” Yuta suggested, motioning for them to go inside.

***

“Thank you,” Taeyong said as Yuta handed him a glass of water, eyes casted down.

He took a sip and took a deep breath. “So…”

“So…” Yuta repeated after him, but giggled when Taeyong made a face. “Yes, it was just a misunderstanding,” he confirmed.

“Gosh, I really thought your life was in danger. Turns out it wasn’t even the flight you guys were in!” 

“Yeap, we took the earlier flight because Johnny insisted he needed time to get everything ready for his anniversary surprise for Ten. But hey, the passengers of that other flight had landed safely too,” he concluded, the beginning of smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Taeyong just nodded. 

The air fell silent, save for the sound of the clock ticking. The tension was growing thicker and thicker by the minute, and soon it was going to be hard enough to breathe. So, Yuta took matters into his own hand.

“So…mind telling me what that was all about?” Yuta motioned to where they were standing just minutes ago, in the doorway. And that was when he saw how red Taeyong grew.

“Oh my god,” Taeyong buried his face in hands, groaned into them as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was so warm he thought he could melt into a puddle anytime now.

“Hey, it’s okay. You can tell me,” Yuta encouraged, a teasing lilt to his tone.

Taeyong pulled his hands away and looked Yuta straight in the eyes. “Gosh, you _know_ what that was about. What _this_ ,” he motioned between the two of them. “...is about.”

When Yuta rested his chin in his palm, looking at him with those beautiful eyes, faking innocence, Taeyong had to fight the urge to pull him in for a kiss.

_This man knows what he's doing to me!_

“Maybe I wanna hear you say it,” Yuta teased with a shit-eating grin.

And that was when Taeyong lost his resolve. Lost it all.

Imagine the end of New Year’s countdown, the beginning of fireworks exploding in the sky, the loud cheering of the crowd. 

Imagine jumping off a plane, skydiving.

Imagine jumping off a bridge, bungee jumping.

Imagine diving head first into uncharted waters, knowing damn well that there was no turning back.

That was what it felt like the moment their lips touched, adrenaline pumping through their bodies, heartbeat ringing in their ears.

They moved languidly against each other, rhythm in sync like they had done this a thousand times before. 

It wasn’t perfect, but it was everything they ever wanted in that moment. And it felt so right.

So, _so_ right.

But of course, something had to interrupt. 

_This is why we can’t have nice things._

Yuta’s phone rang, and it kept ringing the more he ignored. So, he reluctantly pulled away, shooting Taeyong an apologetic look before reaching for the device in the back pocket.

It was Johnny trying to facetime him. And he groaned.

After what had happened this evening, ignoring this call would just end up a disaster. He looked over to Taeyong, asking for permission. When Taeyong nodded, he slid his thumb across the screen, bracing himself for what was coming.

Immediately, the very familiar voice rang through the speaker. “Yuta! Oh my god! You won’t believe what just happened. Ten just proposed to me! We’re engaged, Yuta. We’re fucking engaged!"

It took him a moment to process, and then he had a hand over his mouth, not believing what he had just heard. Johnny was beaming on the screen, showing off the gold band on his finger. Even with the low quality of the video, Yuta could see how bright his eyes were shining. He could hear Ten giggling in the background, probably cuddled up to Johnny. The usual.

“You’re kidding! Oh my god! Congratulations! Who would’ve thought this day would come so soon. Ten! You didn’t even tell me,” he replied, equally as excited.

“Shut up! It just came out, okay!” He defended.

“Still!” Yuta insisted.

He was so happy for his friends, so happy that they finally sorted that out. _One step at a time_ , he thought to himself.

But suddenly Ten was pulling the phone away from Johnny, until only his face was visible on the screen. “Wait, Yuta! Are you with Taeyong?” he asked, amused.

Yuta flinched at the question. 

_Oh, shit._

He looked over to Taeyong who just shrugged in response.

“Oh my god. Oh. My. God. Yuta! Oh my god, are you guys like, making out or something? Hey, Taeyong. Show yourself! Come on--”

Yuta cut the call abruptly, smiling sheepishly at Taeyong, putting his phone away face down on the coffee table.

_Why did Ten even say that?!_

“So…” Taeyong started, scooting closer to Yuta, feeling bold. “We weren’t really making out, but I guess we could try.”

Yuta almost choked on his own spit. He wasn’t sure if he heard him right, but who was he to say no?

He had a hand at the back of Taeyong’s neck in a split second, slowly pulling him in. It was burning at every point of contact, Yuta thought he was about to combust. But this felt so good, so right.

Until--

“Daddy?”

Yuta turned his head so fast he almost had a whiplash.

Yuki, standing by the bedroom door, clutching the frog plushie close to her chest.

“Hi, baby! Did you miss me?” 

Yuki was in his arms in no time, making a home on his lap and kissing the tip of his nose. “Of course I did!”

Yuta couldn’t stop himself from kissing all over her face, tickling her too in the process. She was wriggling in his hold, begging for him to stop in between shrieks.

Taeyong was smiling so fondly at the sight. It was slowly sinking in what he was signing up for, but he was very much looking forward to it.

When Yuta finally stopped his ministrations, Yuki looked at him, and then at Taeyong, and then back at him. He could hear the gears turning in her head. And then,

And then.

“So, are you two getting married now?” she asked, genuinely curious.

The way Taeyong's expression morphed into that of horror, nervousness radiating from his gaze, it had Yuta breaking into laughter, tightening his hold around Yuki. “Nooooo, but Uncle John and Uncle Ten are!” he explained, booping her nose.

“They are?!” The way her eyes lit up had Yuta warm and happy inside.

“Yes, sweetie. They really are,” he assured, hand sneaking to hold Taeyong’s, squeezing it gently.

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it here, thank you for reading!
> 
> May the YuTae nation keep flourishing!


End file.
